A Week Without a Plan

September 3 · 4 min read

I booked a one-way train ticket to a town I had never heard of, mostly because the name sounded nice. No hotel, no list of sights, no return date.

What worked

Without a plan, I walked a lot more. I found a bakery that opened at six, a river path that nobody seemed to use, and a used bookshop run by a cat who clearly owned the place.

Small guesthouses were happy to take walk-in guests on weekdays, and asking locals for recommendations led to far better meals than any review site.

What didn't

Sundays. Almost everything was closed, and I spent most of the day reading on a bench. Honestly, that was fine too.

The main street, which takes about four minutes to walk.

Would I do it again?

Yes, with one change: I would bring a better pair of walking shoes. Not having a plan turns out to involve a lot of walking.